Free Switch Play! by Matt Christopher, Stephanie Peters, Daniel Vasconcellos Page B

line upabout twenty feet behind him. Alan, you’re twenty feet behind Bundy.” The boys took their positions.
    “On defense will be halfback Amanda and fullback Lisa. The defense will just stand there for now, until the offense gets the
     idea.” Amanda placed herself next to Bundy. Lisa went between Stookie and the goal. The coach tossed the ball to Alan.
    “Alan, start dribbling.” Alan did. “Now usually Alan would pass the ball to Bundy, who would pass it up to Stookie. But this
     time, Alan, keep the ball and switch positions with Bundy.” Alan continued to dribble slowly until he was next to Bundy. Bundy
     faltered, looked at the coach, then took a few steps back.
    The coach held up his hand. “Whoa! Alan, you forgot to let your teammate know what you wanted to do. Unless you yell ‘Switch!’
     Bundy’s just going to think you’re crowding his position. Try it again.”

    Alan returned to his position. When the coach blew his whistle, Alan dribbled toward Bundy. “Uh, switch,” Alan said as he
     drew near. The coach’s whistle shrilled.
    “Louder, Alan,” he advised. “Remember, it’s going to be noisy during a game. You have to be sure your teammate hears you.
     Plus, a good loud bellow can surprise the opposition just enough to throw them off balance. And don’t forget to say your teammate’s
     name.”
    Alan tried again. “Bundy, switch!” he yelled. Bundy dropped back, allowing Alan to keep dribbling forward. When the coach
     didn’t stop him, he kept going until he was near Stookie. After a quick glance at the coach, Alan yelled, “Stookie, switch!”
    Stookie moved back. Suddenly Alan was in front of the goal. With a grin, he popped a short kick that sent the ball over Bucky
     Pinter’s outstretched hands and into the net.
    Ted bounced on his heels. He couldn’t wait for his turn!

Chapter 4

    C oach Bradley gradually made the drill more difficult. First he had Amanda and Lisa cover their players but not try to take
     the ball. Then he had them work harder and try to steal the ball. Finally, he told the offense to switch only part of the
     time to see if they could trick the defense. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. But after ten minutes, the first group
     had become used to yelling “Switch!” Now it was the second group’s turn.
    Ted was the fullback on offense. He, Dewey, and Lou Barnes went through the easy stepsof the drill without a problem. Ted was eager to move on to the more difficult ones, when the defense would try to get the
     ball.
    When they did, however, Ted ran into trouble. He yelled “Switch!” every time instead of mixing it up. So by the fourth time,
     Dale Tuget, the halfback on defense, was all over him. Coach Bradley blew his whistle.
    “Ted, part of the point of switching is to catch the defense off guard,” he reminded. “Try it a few more times, but keep Dale
     on his toes.”
    Ted did. He reached the goal twice, but the other times he lost the ball or was forced to pass. Still, those two times were
     enough to convince him that during a game, he could go all the way. In fact, he was determined to try it the very next game.
    Three days later, he got his chance. The ’Cats were up against the Tadpoles. The Tadpoles weren’t usually a very difficult
     team to beat.Ted decided they’d be the perfect opponent for his switch maneuver.
    The ’Cats won the coin toss and got the ball first. Ted watched eagerly as Stookie passed the ball to Jerry. Ted found himself
     hoping the ’Cats would lose control of the ball to the Tadpoles.
    C’mon, get down this end
, he wished silently.
    His wish was granted five minutes into the game. The ’Cats scored an early goal and the Tadpoles took control at the center
     line. For once, their strikers easily passed the halfbacks. Suddenly, they were right in front of the fullbacks.
    Ted and Lisa rushed the ball. Jabbing wildly with their feet, they managed to free it from the attacking Tadpole. Ted swept
     down